First, I want to think Anna Kathryn for having me as her guest blogger today. This is exciting! I loved her blog about buying that village in England. If only I had the money....
Today I'd like to talk about my upcoming story from The Wild Rose Press,
The Man Hunt. It's due to be released on March 25 - in a couple of days, and I'm holding my breath until it's out. A few years ago, one of my co-workers introduced me to her son - a VERY good looking guy going through a heart-breaking divorce. As I thought about this Hunk, I realized he needed a happily ever after - even if it's in my imagination. heehee His name is Brock - just what I named my sexy hero. But you know, the hero of my story took his own identity as I wrote, and he's nothing like the Brock in real life. Now it's okay to slobber over my hero without feeling guilty. Check out the awesome trailer, too!
http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=305
Unwilling to let another man control her life, Dr. Jordan Reed hires someone to portray her new love interest to satisfy her nagging stepmother. Part of the bargain is that he convince her ex-boyfriend that she has happily moved on. Unfortunately, it’s hard to prove when Brock Hamill blames Jordan for his sister’s suicide and embarks on a mission to destroy her psychiatric credibility. Acting the part of a patient, his mission is deterred by the doctor’s hot body and giving heart, and when he discovers her life 's in jeopardy, he’s willing to reveal his true identity to save her. Will Jordan forgive his deceit when she learns the truth?
**excerpt**
Doctor Jordan Reed squinted and adjusted her eyes to the dimly lit bar. The Standard Examiner lay opened in front of her as she scanned the advertisement.
Woman seeking man for business partner. Must be charming and witty. Must be between thirty and forty-five and have acting ability. Call 1-800-777-4042 to arrange interview.“Oh no! Erica, what have you done?”
Jordan focused on the little black letters that practically reached out and slapped her. She slumped forward, banged her forehead on the table, finally letting it come to rest on the opened newspaper. “Why? Why? Why?” she moaned.
Sitting across the table, Erica patted Jordan’s hand. “Don’t be mad at me. It’ll work out. I promise.”
“Oh, God, Erica! This makes me look desperate.” Jordan shook her head. Her forehead crinkled the paper. “Then again, maybe I am. I should be the patient instead of the psychiatrist.”
Erica laughed. “Will you stop worrying? I told you, everything will be just fine.”
Jordan raised her head just enough to look at her friend. Yeah right. “How many people do you think are going to read this ad? How many people will actually take it seriously? Damn, Erica, what kind of woman hunts for a man by taking out an ad in the newspaper, especially in my profession? That’s what people are going to think and don’t say they won’t.”
Erica shrugged her thin shoulders. “You’ve been hurt. People will understand…at least the right people will. And I don’t think you need help. All you need is—” She bit her bottom lip and drew her brows together.
Jordan straightened and looked at her friend. “What do I need?”
The corner of Erica’s mouth lifted into a smirk. “It’s like I told you before, all you need is a good romp in the sack. That will cure all your problems.”
“Oh Lord.” Jordan rolled her eyes and thumped her head back on the table. Pain exploded like a cannon in her skull. She yelped.
Erica touched Jordan’s head. “Are you all right?”
“I will be after my head stops pounding.”
Erica chuckled and scooted across her seat. “I’m going to get our drinks. What do you want?”
“Nothing. I need a clear head to finish the work day, especially now that I’ve seen the havoc you’ve caused.”
“Okay, no vodka. How about soda and water?”
“That’s fine.”
Jordan worked her hands between her head and the newspaper and massaged her aching skull. How could it have come to this? Sure, Erica was only thinking about her, but an ad in the newspaper? Oh, God! Still, desperate times called for desperate measures. Didn’t they? She’d been without a man since Kenneth left. Kenneth, the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. The man who broke her heart when he married her wealthy stepmother. And now they were coming for a visit. Like she wanted to see him. No way she’d let either of them see her without a man.
As much as she wanted to yell and cuss at her secretary for placing the ad, Jordan had to admit hiring someone to portray her boyfriend wasn’t a bad idea. Especially since she was running out of time.
Humiliation spread through her at the thought of Kenneth discovering how much he’d hurt her two years ago. Especially after he laughed in her face and told her she’d never have another relationship. Then again, he always thought he was God’s gift to women. Oh how she wished her stepmother hadn’t gone against her advice and married the jerk anyway. Not that she blamed her stepmother. Kenneth had been so conniving and convincing. It made Jordan ill just to think of it.
A warm hand touched her shoulder, before the intoxicating scent of male spice lured her from her thoughts. “Excuse me, miss. Are you all right?”
Why did everyone ask her that? She huffed, ready to give the stranger a set down if he thought she was an easy pick-up, and raised her head. She sat up, turned toward the intruder, and opened her mouth to speak. The words got lost. It took a minute to remember to breathe.
Absolutely gorgeous!
His freshly-shaven, square jaw emphasized his slightly pointed nose and highlighted a beautiful smile. Dreamy! Sexy! Even in the smoke-filled shadows of the bar, Charlie’s Passion, his dark hair grabbed her attention - cut short and slicked back, just the way she liked.
His eyes hypnotized her. Because of the shadows, she couldn’t detect a color, but it was as if his wide, radiant eyes saw right through her. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of a wild wolf lurking in their depths.
She shivered and blinked a few times to see if the image disappeared. Was she dreaming, or was there really a man so incredibly good-looking, so incredibly sexy in this bar?
“Miss? You all right?” he spoke again, mentally shaking her from her stupor.
She nodded. “I was just...hmmm, well...” She glanced down at the wrinkled paper. “I was reading the paper.”
His smile widened, and he slid into the seat beside her. His eyes drifted to her head. “With your forehead?”
She chuckled and rubbed the still smarting tender spot. He brushed her fingers away. Heat from his skin pierced through her like a lightening bolt.
“There’s something on your forehead.” When he leaned closer, his rock-hard chest bumped her shoulder. Warmth spread through every limb right down to her toes. His raspberry colored tongue peeked over his lip, just as he slid his thumb across it. When he lifted his hand to rub off the mark, she couldn't take her eyes off his face. The liquid heat on his thumb burned her skin like molten lava, making her insides tremble.
“The paper left its mark on you.”
She swallowed hard. Not just the paper left its mark, so had he.
Visit my website for more stories and wonderful book trailers -
http://www.phyllismariecampbell.com/Anna Kathryn, thanks again for having me here!
~Phyllis~
